


At a Crossroads

by Cavalierious



Category: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Genre: Dungeon, I would be too, Links a little snarky, Saving the Princess, this is how the journey starts folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27530752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cavalierious/pseuds/Cavalierious
Summary: It’s hard to maintain that fate isn’t real when you wake up in the dead of night, hearing the voice of the princess floating through the air. Addressing you directly. By name. And, she’s being awfully persistent.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	At a Crossroads

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason, I had the urge to play Link to the Past for the first time in like a decade. And naturally, because I've begun writing again, I couldn't resist. Who knows, maybe this'll be a series.

Link’s never been one to believe in fate. Nor is he a do-gooder. 

He’s not a realist either, Link supposes. He’s never really thought about it. Link has always kept his head down and done what is expected; nothing more and nothing less. Get up in the morning, eat your breakfast, do your chores. End your night full and satisfied, and with an occasional drink if your uncle’s permitting.

But, it’s hard to maintain that fate isn’t real when you wake up in the dead of night, hearing the voice of the princess floating through the air. Addressing you directly. By name. And, she’s being awfully persistent. 

Link’s uncle suits up and set out as he always does because he’s a knight of Hyrule and that’s what’s expected. Link stays in bed, a blanket pulled to just under his chin, the soft words of a woman worming his ear.

It’s not expected for princesses to call on barely-a-man, such as himself. And, Link has to hand it to her: the princess seems awfully confident.

Link pulls himself from the bed, gets dressed, and wielding nothing but his uncle’s old and rusted lamp, decides to visit Hyrule Castle. The visit’s cut short when the guard denies him entry. Link tries his uncle’s name and rank. He’s still denied. Link says that the princess personally called for him. All the guard does is laugh at his pitiful, assumed lie. 

The princess really hasn’t made this easy for him, has she? Link wonders if any of this is worth it. 

Visiting the castle changes into  _ storming _ the castle, and that’s when Link knows that he’s out of his damn mind. Most would go back home and tuck in again. Link very nearly does. 

But, he doesn’t. His father had died protecting the Royal Family, his uncle likely will, and while it’s not something that Link’s ever seen in his future, he supposes that there’s dramatic irony to it.

Heavy rain pelts him in the face. His lantern is useless like this. The guard stares at him and Link stares back. He looks around. He thinks. And then he decides. 

Link bids the doorman a good night and backtracks to the gate, only to pitch to the side and around the high parapet. This is the point where he can’t get caught because getting caught means the dungeons. And even if that’s where the princess claims to be, he’d rather break in than be thrown in. 

Both options aren’t prime. 

Uncle used to tell him stories as a child, and one included a secret side entrance hidden by brush. Link’s surprised that it’s real. The drop into the dark basement is longer than he’d like, shocking his ankles and calves. He grunts as he pulls himself up. 

And then, there’s his uncle, busted and broken, lying against the wall. He’s not dead yet. He’s got a few words left. When he passes Link his father’s sword, there’s a swell of emotion that Link swallows down. 

He hadn’t known that Uncle had kept this, let alone used it. Uncle had always proclaimed the home a weapons-free space, keeping the sword elsewhere. And now, it’s a hefty weight in Link’s hand. Link barely knows how to use a sword, aside from cutting down grass. There’s a near-zero chance that this will go well. 

But, Link’s in too deep. He’s promised Uncle, and he’s even promised the damned princess too. It’s better to think that she doesn’t know that. 

Hyrule Castle crawls with guards, but Link is small and unremarkable; half of their defense pays him no mind. 

Logically, the dungeons are below ground, so Link works his way south. Into the land. Into the depths of the palace. It’s cold and a little bit wet, the stones slick with algae and mold. It smells musty. He doesn’t know how the guards see anything in their helmets, with only candlelight flickering alongside the walls.

Miraculously, he finds the dungeon. Even more miraculously, Link is relatively unscathed. 

This room is lit well. A ball-and-chain trooper awaits him at the far end. Link’s hand tightens around the grip of his sword as he hesitates. It’s absurd, coming here because he thinks he heard the princess whispering to him in the night. Of everyone in Hyrule, why him? It doesn’t make sense. 

But, neither does successfully sneaking into a palace dungeon with little-to-know effort. Maybe it is fate and maybe Link has the Goddess’s favor. 

That’s a wild thought.

Still, the trooper is an issue. Link is quick on his feet though, avoiding the throw of the ball-and-chain. He can’t get in close enough, so he sweeps to the side instead. He’s mostly avoiding the knight. 

Also, why is the knight okay with locking the princess down here? 

Link doesn’t have time to question further, ducking in the nick of time as rusted metal flies past his face. And then, he spots a boon off to the side. Link dives for it, fingers sliding across cool ceramic. 

Then, he tosses the pot as hard as he can towards the trooper’s head. It hits solidly and the trooper goes down, out cold. 

Link is breathing hard. He doesn’t have much time. And, for a moment, he considers turning back. The moment he crosses the threshold to the princess, he knows that there’s no turning back. You don’t just get to rescue a princess and come out  _ not _ a hero. 

The problem with being a hero is that it comes with a job. And it’s a job that seemingly never ends. 

Still, Link feels a tug deep in the core of his being. It’d be a waste to turn back now. He leans over the trooper and tugs the cell key from his waist. Then, Link turns to face the metal bars and the princess within. 

Zelda smiles at him, hands collapsed demurely in front of her skirt. Even in a dungeon, she looks perfectly put together, the epitome of a princess. 

And then, she smirks mischievously as she surveys Link. “I had a feeling you were close,” says Zelda. 

“Oh, did you?” says Link, unable to keep the quip from his tone. 

But Zelda isn’t annoyed or angry. She bids him closer. Link follows. The moment that the cell is unlocked and he steps in, Link knows that fate is a real thing. It’s brought him to this exact point, right here, to rescue this woman. 

The worst part is, is that she knows it. 

Link sighs, resigned, but Zelda reaches out to take his hand gently. Her fingers are cold, but the touch seems warm. “There’s isn’t much time to explain, aside from what to do next. Do you understand, Link?”

He knows that his answer will change his life. 

He also knows that this is his destiny. 

“What do we need to do?” asks Link.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/_Cavalierious_)


End file.
